By Norman K. Janes, president
November 1, 2006
As I meet with CBA section and committee members, I am constantly stressing how important membership in an organized bar association is to practicing lawyers. This past weekend has confirmed for me that this is more than just a party line. I was fortunate to spend Friday and Saturday in Manchester, Vermont, at the annual meeting of the New England Bar Association (NEBA). Many of you may not be familiar with the NEBA, but like any other bar association one of its most important benefits is the opportunity to share with, learn from, and be supported by colleagues. Most of the lawyers active in the NEBA are leaders from our sister bar associations from around New England so the sharing is about those issues of interest to bar leaders (AKA "bar junkies"). There were presentations on law-related education in schools, certification of legal specialties, IOLTA funding, trends in professional liability, and a look at the future of the practice of law. I learned many new things both from the presentations and the informal conversations I had with bar leaders from other states. In short, membership in that bar association helps me in my 'practice' as a bar leader in Connecticut, just as active participation in the CBA, particularly in a section or committee, provides the same kind of benefit to our members.
By the way, our own Frank A. May and Angelo Paul Sevarino did us proud at the NEBA meeting by presenting the Connecticut experience in establishing and maintaining legal specialization in workers’ compensation law, as did CBA Past President Frederic S. Ury in speaking about the future of the legal profession.
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